Our Team

Jeffrey is a graduate of Boston University in Marine Science. He has spent the last four years teaching marine science onboard tall ships on the east coast. While sailing he also completed two oceanographic research trips that crossed the Atlantic Ocean with SEA. Most recently, Jeffrey was the Assistant Director of The Global Warming Express Cape Cod where he developed an ocean-based curriculum for 8-12 year olds that included talks from members of The Center for Coastal Studies and The Harwich Conservation Trust. He is a strong advocate of communicating science which is what brought him into the education world. Currently, he also sits on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Pleasant Bay.

Email: jmorgan@opakedu.org

Melanie Colby, Curriculum Director

Melanie is a graduate of Montclair State University, where she majored in Music Education. Melanie has spent her adult life teaching the importance of environmental and music education as an educator for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in Beacon, NY founded by folk musician Pete Seeger. She also spent the summer of 2016 creating the music education curriculum for The Global Warming Express Cape Cod, a program out of Pleasant Bay Community Boating. Melanie has also spent considerable time teaching music in the New Jersey school system. She is a passionate teacher and ocean lover.

Email: mcolby@opakedu.org

Interns

Callie Anderson

Callie Anderson is a sophomore at Colorado State University studying Conservation Biology. Although she is surrounded by the mountains, she has always had a love for the ocean and protecting marine ecosystems. Callie expresses her passion for the sea through her artwork, and encourages the use of the arts within environmental education to spark curiosity and creativity in all.

Lucy Pollock

Lucy Pollock is a rising senior at Nauset Regional High School. Native to the Cape, she is passionate about our local ecosystems and their conservation. Lucy also is a strong supporter of music and the arts as a tool for teaching, and aspires to become an educator in the future.

Board of Directors

Yep! Our President also writes our curriculum. We strongly believe in our roots and hope we can encourage more students to become curious ambassadors for the ocean!

Marie Perry,

Vice President

Marie, a graduate from the University of Scranton, studied Environmental Science and Philosophy. She has spent the last five years farming, sailing, and teaching with several non-profit organizations including Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and Living Classrooms Foundation. Marie continues to pursue a career in outdoor education as an Environmental Educator at Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, NY. She teaches science and arts curriculum to encourage students to be stewards of the environment. Marie misses the water, but relishes opportunities to teach about estuaries and watersheds. In her free time she hopes to fix up her boat and sail the Hudson.

Christina Rampone, Treasurer

Christina is a graduate of Suffolk University, where she majored in Accounting and minored in Big Data and Analytics. She grew up on the Connecticut coast which helped spark her curiosity for the marine world. Christina is excited to join a new team and help grow ocean awareness across New England. She has spent the last few years interning with Ernst & Young and State Street Corporation getting exposure to both Assurance and Corporate Tax.

Tiffanie Haisma, Secretary

Tiffanie graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a major in Biological Sciences. She found her passion and love for environmental education during her service with the Peace Corps in the Philippines. She has worked with the Hudson River Sloop Clearwateras an educator and deck hand. Most recently, she began as an instructor at Nature's Classroom at Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum in Carrollton, OH. She has the drive to help children create a connection with the natural world around them.